Hoi an Travel Guide

HOI AN

The approach to HOI AN across sandy scrubland and through straggling
modern outskirts may be disappointing, but its ancient core is a rich
architectural fusion of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and European
influences during back of the sixteenth century. In its heyday the now
drowsy channel of the Thu Bon River was a jostling crowd of merchant
vessels representing the world's great trading nations, and there's
still a compelling sense of history in the mellow streets of this
small, amiable town. Hoian's most noteworthy monuments are the 200-
year-old homes of prosperous Chinese merchants whose descendants,
surrounded by astonishing collections of antiques and family
memorabilia, continue to inhabit the cool, dark houses. Between their
sober wooden arcades, riotous confections of glazed roof tiles and
writhing dragons mark the entrances to Chinese Assembly Halls, which
form the focal point of civic and spiritual life of an ethnic Chinese
community that constitutes one quarter of the population.

Hoi an was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list in 1999 and is
now firmly on the tourist agenda. For some its' already too much of a
trap with its profusion of tailors' shops and art galleries and its
rapidly proliferating hotels, and the majority of visitors pause only
briefly, but it takes time to tune into the town's subtle charms,
which are as much about human encounters as ancient vestiges. At least
a day is needed to cover the central sights and sample some of Hoian's
mouthwatering specialty dishes, and then by most people is hooked.
It's easy to spend longer, taking day trips to the atmospheric Cham
ruins of My Son or some of the other sights closet to town, biking out
into the surrounding country or opting for a leisurely sampan ride on
the Thu Bon River. If possible, try to time your visit to coincide
with the recently inaugurated Full-Moon Festival on the fourteenth day
of the lunar calendar, when the town centre is closed to traffic and
traditional arts performances take place in the lantern-lit streets.

More information : www.trafest.com